Facing the Demon

 

 

 

I pass broken road signs

glancing at decrepit buildings

fading from once bright colors

to dull reminders of my past

 

A ride down memory lane

serves as self punishment

reminding me how spirituality

should have been first, not last

 

Homeless, poverty stricken humans

with dead eyes and cold faces

struggle in a gloomy ghost town

where drugs have won the holy war

 

Corrupt police, and crooked officials 

seduce the broken-spirited addicts

dangling embezzled drugs as hard candy

to runaway mothers and the lost street w***e

 

Setting my eyes to my higher power

I plead for God to touch my now aged face

realizing the sun shines behind the dark clouds

as God touches my yearning soul and turns it anew

 

I raise my hands and tremble

praying to God relentlessly

realizing the road to recovery is as

the road to heaven, narrow and few.

 

Tears are now replaced with laughter

releasing pain staking reminders

as I thrive in this wicked world

where the sun forever shines behind clouds

 

Reviews

[Bennett Logan]

Wow. This may be my favorite of yours yet. You present a very strong and clear image, but you didn't necessarily tell the reader what it means. It makes for good poetry.

My favorite lines were, "Corrupt police, and crooked officials/seduce the broken-spirited addicts/dangling embezzled drugs as hard candy/to runaway mothers and the lost street w***e." You put the reader right there in the middle of it. Good stuff. Truly.

Keep up the good work, Jenn!

[Kasey Klein]

Old hat.

I do like the self-expression of a personal journey, some good images. You mix the tense in the beginning, but I suspect that's intentional.

The half-dozen plus misspellings were distracting, but that's the editor in me, my current drug of choice.

[larryb]

Nice stuff you wrote here :)

[Ralphy]

Wow, Jenn�I really like the structure of this piece. It's like molasses, thick and sticky where the words are thick and the message sticks to you. Of course, as the story rolls along the molasses runs like water. I can see your world and remember the taunting life style that one had to live it, in order to survive in the hell hold of the streets�almost like normal life; anything goes as long as money is the clothing you're wearing. Nice writing and great expression

[An owl on the moon]

Just amazingly moving and profound... The depth of insight into the spiritual condition is so powerful. It is so much more than mere words...

Craig

[Kitty]

Praise HIM! That is awesome Jenn... I like how you said

"realizing the sun shines behind the dark clouds"

We are those dark clouds... and His light shines in us even while we are still in this flesh...

This is great imagery.. I love the way you write, you already know that.

..now I need you to publish all your stuff so when I am uninspired I can read some of your stuff, and get some ideas.

You are a writer.. He is good :)


Write on,

Mellow

[DeAn]

sorry, but the reality is that even the devil can look like an angel of god. and the truth is, your still in hell.

nobody else will say it and very few even wish to admit it, but I ain't skeered, and you my friend, deserve to know the truth no matter what. we all do. THIS IS the outter darkness spoken of in the Bibles. "where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth".

where else but the body can you do either? humans are the only ones who can shed copious tears and you have to have teeth (ie.. be in the flesh) in order to 'gnash' them.

so tired of being the only one willing to admit it.

as for the way the story was written, you wrote it exceptionally well and showed the emotion you felt behind great.

good job.

-DeAn

[Kena Dawn Augustine]

powerful. but the sun shouldn't shine behind clouds, it should shine brightly above everything else!!! lol

reminding me how spirituality

should have been first, not last

that's a good line there, the main theme of the poem, I feel. God should always be first. Because he is our Creator, he has given us everything we have on this earth and understands us fully. that's the main problem with this world. Too many forget their Father, and instead turn to worldy finite things that crumble at the first sign of danger. Because they build their foundations shaky, they will break down as buildings when adveristy shakes them or blowes them away. God is the solid foundation. And I like the fact you realize that in this poem.

thanks for sharing.

kena

[R J Askew]

Very strong, like it, gritty. But with hope at the end.